Those close to a drowning man who was pulled from Wellington Harbour last week say they are still mystified as to why their friend was in the water.

With the Surf Life Saving New Zealand patrol season officially ending this Easter weekend, and many boaties still out on the water, New Zealanders are being urged not to be complacent about safety.

A teenage hero who helped to rescue a drowning man is devastated she will never get to meet the student she saved.

The manager of a council pool in Lower Hutt who was fired after failing a drug test has won the right to go back to work for now.

Tsunami sirens will be tested at midday on Sunday at north and west Auckland beaches.

A man's body was discovered face down in shallow water alongside the Waikato River this morning.

A top Auckland doctor charged over a serious boating incident in which a man was left bleeding in the water may escape without a black mark against his name.

A man who went for a "drunken dunk" in Mission Bay last night is extremely lucky another man searching for his Go Pro was able to assist in his rescue, police say.

The burial service for two brothers who drowned at a popular surf beach north of Gisborne at the weekend will be held today.

The prayers of a grieving family were answered yesterday when a body believed to be that of missing teenager John Wakelin was found in the surf at Wainui Beach.

As Tamara Cuttriss blacked out and went under the water her last thought was: "This is it. What a waste. I haven't even lived yet."

A novice boatie died in a cold Southland lake after the boat's powerful outboard motor broke free, leaving a hole in the hull.

Queenstown's harbourmaster isn't impressed after four men he advised to get off their inflatable airbed floated under bungy jumpers - and were fined.

Two young men who drowned at a popular surf beach north of Gisborne on Saturday were "really neat kids", their father says.

New signs should be placed around a popular swimming spot after a man drowned trying to save his son, a coroner says.

The number of pre-schoolers who died in drowning incidents increased by 60 per cent last year, new figures show.

A woman in her 50s has died in a suspected drowning incident in Northland today.

A male is missing in the water at Bethells Beach on Auckland's West Coast.

Free water-skills lessons for Auckland children are being offered with a catch: a parent or caregiver must be in the pool with the child during each of the five sessions.

Family and friends have farewelled a 16-year-old boy who was swept out to sea at Ninety Mile Beach on December 27, remembering him as their 'miracle boy'.

The holiday drowning toll is a "huge disappointment", Water Safety New Zealand says.

Man who died saving his young niece from drowning at a South Taranaki beach yesterday has been named by police.

The Hauraki Gulf is at its most alluring - glassy calm and sparkling blue in the sunlight - and thousands of Aucklanders in small boats hover above the fishing reefs.

Wayne August appeared to be drunk when he walked into the surf at New Brighton beach wearing long pants and a T-shirt.

The discovery of Jarod Lineses three kilometres north of Hukatere brings to end a five-day vigil by his family after he was dragged out to sea.

A shark hooked by a fisherman that "tail-walked" before breaking free may well have been a great white, a passing charter skipper says.

Family tells how their holiday sightseeing trip turned into rescue operation after spotting stricken men in the water: "You just think about trying to find the next person."